Bulgarian President Unexpectedly Commemorates Victims of Communism

President Rumen Radev commemorates the victims of the Communist regime in Bulgaria on February 1, 2022. Photo: Presidency of the Republic of Bulgaria.

This was the first time that Radev, who ran successfully twice as an independent candidate supported by Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, has participated in the event.

During his six years in office so far, Radev held to the BSP's line of not commenting critically on the legacy of the repressive Communist regime. The BSP is the direct successor of the former Bulgarian Communist Party.

"We may like Rumen Radev or we may not. We can approve of or criticise his positions. We may be worried about the excessive concentration of power in his hands - and we should always be concerned when there is a danger of gathering too much power in one's hands. But hats off to him today," Radan Kanev, a Bulgarian member of the European Parliament, wrote on Facebook. "This is a historic moment on Bulgarian society's path to the future," Kanev said.

February 1 is marked as the Day of Remembrance and Respect to Victims of the Communist Regime in Bulgaria because on that day in 1945, the so-called People's Court started convicting thousands of people, which soon led to a totalitarian regime that would last until 1989.

In February 2021, when criticised for not participating in events around the commemoration, Radev told media: "Let me be clear, I don't separate victims according to the regime that killed them. The memory of all innocent Bulgarian victims is equally sacred."

In the last few weeks, local media have increasingly speculated that Radev will sever his links with the BSP and start his own party which will help him stay afloat on the political scene after his second term ends.

Radev, whose...